Apparatus for storing and retrieving card sized objects

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for storing and retrieving card sized objects with a case body with a channel sufficient to contain a plurality of card sized objects from all sides, an inlet on a side of the case body through which cards may pass, fixed obstructions in the inlet opening against which the card is compressed as it passes into or out of the case body, and an opening on the face or faces of case body of sufficient size to permit contact with card faces. An alternate embodiment includes the case body with an inlet on two opposing sides of the case body through which cards may pass An alternate embodiment includes fixed obstructions on the opening of the inlets against which the card is compressed as it passes into or out of the case body

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

DESCRIPTION OF ATTACHED APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates generally to the field of personal object storageand more specifically to an apparatus for storing and retrieving cardsized objects.

An analysis of existing methods of storing and retrieving card sizedobjects in devices yields the following findings.

Existing methods of retention can be categorized as follows. Thesemethods may be employed in a multitude of combinations.

Compression: This method utilizes a flexible member or mechanism toapply force to the object to be retained. The force may be incidental atinsertion or applied constantly for object retention. For example,elastic bands may compress an array of cards to form a means of carryingcards between them, springs may act as detents to hold cards inside adevice, a money clip-like spring may press down on an array of cards tohold them in place.

Friction: This method employs a contact surface whereby motion isimpeded by frictional forces in the area of contact such as via aflexible sleeve, or compressing surfaces. Friction may be applied toedges or faces of cards or a combination thereof. In the case of a cardor cards in a sleeve, friction is applied on the top and bottom faces ofthe object where it meets the sleeve, and compression is applied throughthe entire object with friction applied at each object interface. Inother words, the sleeve compresses the object and friction applies toeach surface where the force is transferred through the array, betweencards themselves and between the cards and the sleeve.

Planar Impediment: This method utilizes a member, device or wall toenclose the object preventing passage. Members may be fixed, slide, snapor swing into place by many methods such as hinges, pivots, snaps,elastic or hook and loop enclosures to name a few. Planar impedimentsessentially block passage of the object without necessarily applyingspecific compressive or frictional forces. For example, objects enclosedon all sides by box are not able to exit that box, yet an opening ofsufficient size in the box, toward which forces are applied to theobjects, may result in the objects leaving the box through that opening.For example a deck of cards in their box are contained until the box isopened and the cards are removed via a force be it gravity, suction or adirectional pull from the operator.

The embodiment of this invention is an effort to maximize the benefitsof each retention method, utilizing a minimal amount of material andconstruction effort, to develop a compact, effective mechanism withimproved usability, safety and durability.

From U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,019 A Pocket card holder with money clip(Yancey E. Sumner, III)

Method: Planar impediments along the long edges of the card array (10L10R) with a vertical spring compression force (12) applied to the topcard in the array.

From U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,832 Card Carrying Case (David Kirshenbaum)

Method: Constant compression applied to faces of cards by resilientmembers in a hinged clamshell enclosure.

From U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,223 Card case having a finger access hole(Masuhiro Mitsuyama)

Method: Friction applied to three sides of a card compressed in asleeve.

From U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,926 Device for keeping cards (Aart van derToorn)

Method: Box like enclosure is accessed via a rotating planar impediment(lid) that is moved freely into and out of place by the operator.

From U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,955 A Card holder (Elmer F. Featherston)

Method: Channel with flexible members pressing card downward toward baseof channel.

From U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,890 B2 Credit card case (Wei-Teh Ho)

Method: box case with flexible barbed members compressively acting onside edges of cards that lock cards in place once the card ends havepassed the barbed mechanism.

From U.S. Pat. No. US 20110277892 A1 Modular organization case (MicahBlack)

Method: Tabs 203 exert a force on the edges of cards and tab 204 exertsa force on the face of the removable cards to hold them in place at anylength along device. Constant compression of tabs along faces edges ofcards for retention in the device.

From U.S. Pat. No. 7,527,081 Card holder and billfold (Jeff D. Coates)

Method: Elastic members hold planes of material against one anothercompressing objects in between

From WO2002060295 A1 Card holder and ejector (Anthony Tiscione, JamesAllen Tiscione)

Method: An array of parallel slots with resilient pads that create edgefriction on inserted cards in slots. The cards are advanced into or outof the case by way of a button tab mechanism allowing operator to selectthe slot associated with a specific button and advance it out of thecase.

From U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,591 B2 Case with elastic-secured end cap(Andrew J. Logan)

Method: Elastic compression holds a cap into the open end of a boxthereby enclosing a plurality of card sized objects inside the box.

From U.S. Pat. No. US 200120261042 A1 (Ajit Khubani)

Method: Hinged clamshell case contains a plurality of accordion-likesleeves for holding card shaped objects or personal items using planarimpediments to contain cards in sleeves.

From U.S. Pat. No. 7,347,325 B2 (Mark Gamache, Arik Keller, TonyLiporice, Michael O'Neill)

Method: A chamber is formed between the cardholder element (110) and theback panel (15) of the device into which cards may be inserted andadvanced through a central opening (140). This chamber employs theplanar impediment method of retaining the cards between the cardholderelement, the back panel of the case, and when closed, the hinged lid ofthe case to prevent the card movement out of the cardholder element.

Each of the retention methods is not without its drawbacks as summarizedbelow and by way of example detailed in existing designs.

SUMMARY

Compression: Compression mechanisms degrade under constant loads, underperiodic loads of varying amounts and over time as the mechanisms reachflexural limits of repetition. Devices with springs, living hinges andflexible members are subject to wear of those mechanisms over time.

Friction: In the cases where friction is applied via a flexible surface,such as leather or plastic, an eventual failure may result as thematerial yields to the rigidity of the object contained. Friction mayalso impair the storage and retrieval processes for the object, makingretrieval slower as conditions of wear, heat or moisture vary. Frictionapplied by inflexible members may abrade surfaces in the area of contactleading to diminished holding capability, cosmetic or even structuraldamage to the object being held.

Planar Impediment: Planar impediments essentially block passage of theobject without necessarily applying specific compressive or frictionalforces. Planar impediments however must be displaced or the objectitself repositioned in order to move the object past the obstruction andout of the case. These mechanisms often require moving parts which canwear out over time, for example hinges failing, clasps breaking, wallsdeforming. These mechanisms also often require two hands to operate, andmanual dexterity to engage or disengage the mechanism. Once out of theway, a planar impediment may permit unintended passage of cargoreleasing more than the intended object from the container.

Detail

From U.S. Pat. No. 5,358,019 A Pocket card holder with money clip(Yancey E. Sumner, III)

Deficiencies: Spring will eventually degrade, applies greater force totop card as more cards are added and abrades face of top card as it isremoved/inserted. Manual and visual access to lower cards is hindered bythe location of the spring, and two hands are required to select a cardfor retrieval, as operator must pull other cards from under the springto identify them for retrieval.

From U.S. Pat. No. 3,648,832 Card Carrying Case (David Kirshenbaum)

Deficiencies: Constant compression will lead to deformation of card anddegradation of flexible members over time, locus of compression pointscan abrade card surfaces as they are repeatedly inserted and removedover the life of the device.

From U.S. Pat. No. 5,080,223 Card case having a finger access hole(Masuhiro Mitsuyama)

Deficiencies: Sleeves will eventually wear out over time and losecompressive force; materials themselves may wear out under use, and cantrap foreign substances inside them such is lint, dirt, oils andmoisture. Dropping or inverting sleeves may release cards.

From U.S. Pat. No. 5,038,926 Device for keeping cards (Aart van derToorn)

Deficiencies: This design requires the operator to monitor the secureposition of the closure, and to remove all cards from the enclosure inorder to conduct the selection of the desired card. The two handedoperation, complete removal of cargo for selection, and insecure closuremethod put cargo at risk of inadvertent release and loss.

From U.S. Pat. No. 4,450,955 A Card holder (Elmer F. Featherston)

Deficiencies: Constant pressure on card will deform card and degradeflexible members, holds only one card

From U.S. Pat. No. 7,921,890 B2 Credit card case (Wei-Teh Ho)

Deficiencies: Flexible members will degrade over time and repeated useleading to a loss of necessary tolerances to retain cards, and tomechanism failure. Fragility of exposed barbed area can snag on clothingor other elements and be damaged leading to failure and release of allcargo.

From U.S. Pat. No. US 20110277892 A1 Modular organization case (MicahBlack)

Deficiencies: The constant load on edges of cards will eventually deformcards or lose strength over time as new cards are installed with renewedresilience to the tabs. Constant load on the face of the card willdeform cards in a concave manner, making them more difficult to scan incard readers, as well as abrade the top card surface with each insertionand removal.

From U.S. Pat. No. 7,527,081 Card holder and billfold (Jeff D. Coates)

Deficiencies: Elastic members under constant load will eventually failleaving contents free to escape the device, two hands required tonavigate and search device for desired object. Heat and oils are knownto degrade some elastics. Both of which are present in the carryingconditions of a human pocket in the warm of the body, and the naturaloils of human fingertips and sweat.

From WO2002060295 A1 Card holder and ejector (Anthony Tiscione, JamesAllen Tiscione)

Deficiencies: The resilient pads that provide edge friction are engagedas long as the card is in the slot, which is a constant force that candegrade the material resilience. Friction to the resilient material overtime will abrade the material thereby degrading the forces applied. Dirtand oils from normal use can find their way to the resilient surfacesand lead to chemical or physical breakdown of the resilient material.There is significant bulk required of the device to house the slots,tabs and buttons within case body. The volume of the device relative tothe cargo it contains is significant.

From U.S. Pat. No. 6,981,591 B2 Case with elastic-secured end cap(Andrew J. Logan)

Deficiencies: The elastic is engaged full time to enclose the cards inthe case and is stretched further to expose the case opening for eachuse. Elastic will eventually fail under constant load and may be furtherdegraded by exposure heat and oils present in human skin. When theelastic fails, the cap will be subject to dislocation and cargo will beunsecured. The operation of the device requires multiple repositioningof both hands to acquire one object from the case. These are: openingthe case, holding the lid out of the way to expose the cards, dumpingthe cargo partially or entirely into the open hand, selecting thedesired card, returning the undesired cards and replacing the lid, whileholding the desired card in the other hand. There is a risk of droppingone or all cards once the cap has been removed and no method ofretention is present beyond gravity and the upright alignment of theopen case.

From U.S. Pat. No. US 200120261042 A1 (Ajit Khubani)

Deficiencies: The case when open applies no forces to retain cards otherthan gravity and planar obstructions to forward and backward shifting.Any tilting of the device will allow gravity to act on cards removingthem from the case. It is possible that other forces such as wind or ajolt to the user could dislodge the plurality of cards once the case isopen. There is bulk associated with fully enclosed designs that occupythe space of the cargo as well as the surrounding area, which can beundesirable to minimalists and active users. Hinges and clasps introducecomplexity to manufacture and risks to product durability in the longrun. Part failures can lead to complete loss of cargo.

From U.S. Pat. No. 7,347,325 B2 (Mark Gamache, Arik Keller, TonyLiporice, Michael O'Neill)

Deficiencies: Once the case is open, the card retaining method is nolonger employed, exposing cards to the risk of inadvertent dislodgingforces. Considering the case has other purposes than cardholding, theuser may open the case for another purpose and thereby not be payingattention to the cards now at risk of escaping. The case is comprised ofa flexible plastic-like material and employs living hinges whicheventually fatigue and fail, risking unexpected release of casecontents. Retrieving a credit card is a two handed operation requiringattention to ensure no cards are lost in the process. The process ofopening the case selecting the card, and closing the case with theselected card in hand, risks inadvertent dropping of the card or thecase.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The primary object of the invention is to provide an apparatus forstoring and retrieving credit card sized objects.

Another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus for efficientaccess to cargo.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved safety requiringless time and attention to operate.

A further object of the invention is to provide one handed operation forcard selection.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide an apparatus combininglightness, strength and convenience of construction.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following descriptions, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, wherein, by way of illustration and example, anembodiment of the present invention is disclosed.

In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, there isdisclosed an apparatus for storing and retrieving card sized objectscomprising: a case body comprising a channel sufficient to contain aplurality of card sized objects from all sides, an inlet on a side ofthe case body through which cards may pass, fixed obstructions in theinlet opening against which the card is compressed as it passes into orout of the case body, and an opening on the face or faces of case bodyof sufficient size to permit contact with card faces.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The drawings constitute a part of this specification and includeexemplary embodiments to the invention, which may be embodied in variousforms. It is to be understood that in some instances various aspects ofthe invention may be shown exaggerated or enlarged to facilitate anunderstanding of the invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of top, front and right side views of anembodiment of the invention (10), inlet opening (11), opening throughwhich cards can be touched (12), and cross sections A-A and B-Bindicated for subsequent reference in FIG. 2 and FIG. 7.

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view of Section A-A which reveals theinterior structure of the invention, case body (20), obstructing parts(21) and the inlet containing walls (22) of the case body.

FIG. 3 is a schematic of the interior surfaces of the container,obstructing parts (30) and case body interior surfaces (31) and casebody (32).

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of the case body (43) interior with theSection B-B cross section positioned alongside to demonstrate insertionof the card (40) under compression at the obstructing parts (41) at thesame time not under compression inside the remainder of the case bodyinterior surfaces (42).

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the case body (53) interior with theSection B-B cross section positioned alongside to demonstrate completedinsertion of the card (50) no longer under compression having clearedthe obstructing parts (51) at the same time not under compression insidethe remainder of the case body interior surfaces (52).

FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the case body (63) interior with thesection B-B cross section positioned alongside to demonstrate removal ofthe card (60) under compression at the obstructing parts (61) at thesame time not under compression inside the remainder of the case bodyinterior surfaces (62).

FIG. 7 is a cross sectional section B-B view of retaining surfaces ofpreferred embodiment of the device (70), with an enclosed bottom face(71), and a two sided model (72).

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the case body (80) positioned to revealthe inner case surface (82) an obstructing part (81) and the retainingsurfaces of the card case body interior (83).

FIG. 9 is a perspective view showing cards moved into the device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein.It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may beembodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed hereinare not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for theclaims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the artto employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailedsystem, structure or manner.

For the sake of description a card case body is a six sided shape withthe two largest surfaces being called faces and the four perimetersurfaces being called sides.

Refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3. An apparatus for storing a plurality ofobjects such as credit cards and identification cards mainly has a casebody (10,20,32) formed with an inlet disposed at one end thereof (11),with openings in the card case body face or faces of sufficient size topermit contact with card faces (12), and has obstructing parts (21,31)disposed respectively on opposing interior sides of said inlet (11).

Refer to FIG. 4 to FIG. 5 by means of such a structure, a card (40)inserted into inlet (11) is compressed at the point of interference withobstructing parts (41) of the case body and gripped between obstructingparts (41) via the compressive strength of card itself as said card (40)is moved between obstructing parts (41,51) until card (40,50) has movedfully past obstructing parts (41,51) and is thus relieved of compressiveforces and thereby contained within the case body inner surfaces (52)until which time retrieval is desired.

Refer to FIG. 6 At the moment of retrieval the process is reversed, bysliding card (60) between obstructing parts creating compressive forcewithin said card, thereby compressing card edges into the obstructingparts (61) creating a compressive force to hold card firmly as it slidesout of the containing area (62) until card is clear of the obstructingparts (61) and thereby free of compressive forces and elasticallyreturning to original uncompressed form.

Refer to FIG. 7 This diagram depicts the preferred and possiblealternate configurations of the invention. Two open faces for contactwith the cards (70) one open face for contact with the cards (71) and acard case with multiple case body interiors, separated by the face oftheir adjoining plane. An alternate embodiment of the apparatus forstoring and retrieving card sized objects with case body comprising aninlet on two opposing sides of the case body through which cards maypass further comprising fixed obstructions on the opening of both inletsagainst which the card is compressed as it passes into or out of thecase body. These and other configurations are possible by repositioningthe card case interiors as desired for a novel configuration of the cardcarrying device.

Refer to FIG. 8 This perspective diagram indicates the location of theobstructing part (81) and the case body interior (82) and the retainingwalls of the case body

Refer to FIG. 9 This perspective diagram demonstrates the movement ofcards into the card case body interior.

The embodiment of this invention employs several retention methods in anovel way in an attempt to maximize the benefits of each method whilemitigating the drawbacks of the others. By utilizing the card itself asthe force for compression, this design is able to provide a simplelightweight case capable of one handed selection of the desired card inthe array, with secure retention of each card during the selectionprocess, and a deformation free, secure storage area with no movingparts to snag, wear or fail.

At entry, cards slide into the inlet and are slightly obstructed bycurved surfaces on opposing walls of the inlet sides. The curvedsurfaces are a fixed distance apart that is slightly less than the widthof a standard card and cause the card to momentarily bend as it passesbetween them. The curved surfaces make minimal contact with the cardedges given the frictional surface area is only that of the arcs wherethey come in contact with the straight edges of the card. As thefriction is applied to the edges of the cards and not to their faces,there is little risk of defacing a card as the card slides into or outof the case body. Though minimal, this friction provides a secure holdon the card for the length of the card edge allowing a card to be heldat varying depths into our out of the case. This capability facilitatesthe advancing of cards with one hand by using the thumb to advance cardsin the array until the desired card is selected. At which point theother hand can simply grab that card from the bottom and pull it fromthe array. This is a similar action to that employed when using one handto select a playing card from a deck of cards. It is a familiar actionand requires only gross motor skill of the hand and thumb to select andretrieve a card. By contrast, the pinching and sliding of sleeves or theen masse open handed sort of the planar impediment designs, require morefine motor skill and control to navigate card selection.

As the card enters the case body, it exerts a compressive force to theslightly narrower fixed obstructions at the mouth of the case bodyinlet. This force generates the friction necessary to securely move thecard into or out of the case body, held firmly to prevent inadvertentloss of the cards. Once the card has slid past the curved obstructingsurfaces completely, it is free of compressive forces and rests inoriginal form within the case body, where it is held by planarimpediments at the back of the case and by the curved surfaces of theinlet obstructions. As the cards in the containing area are not subjectto lateral compressive forces, they are not subject to the potentiallydamaging deformation seen in some constant compression designs. Thoughsome constant compression planar impediment designs that do not deformcards given the planes used to compress the cards apply uniform pressureover the entire face of the card on that plane, there remains a drawbackfor this design which is the same as that of other planar impedimentdesigns: once compression is relieved, cards are free to move asprevailing forces dictate and can fall free of the surface with littleto no provocation. Further, if a compression planar impediment can bepartially opened by prying open one end of the device, the manualdexterity required to keep the case open and then pinch/sort the cardsin the array can be distracting and prone to error. With the casepartially open in these designs, the variance in compressive forces canactually ‘squirt’ cards from the array as the compression angle changesforces between the cards in the array. By contrast, the embodiment ofthe proposed invention applies a uniform compressive force to each cardfor the length of the card edge without risk of squirting or elasticfailure.

Though the embodiment of this invention employs a planar impediment tocontain the cards within the case body, the proposed design overcomesthe major drawback of other planar impediment designs by making thecompressive force of the card itself the means of engaging anddisengaging the planar impediment. The card, deflected minimally inpassing the impediment is securely held for the duration of passage, asis any other card sent into the impediment in series or in parallel.That is to say that only the cards receiving a force sufficient to movethem along their entirety, out of the impediment are free to leave thecase body. In contrast to the proposed invention transitional engagementmethod, which grips the card or cards for the duration as theytransition into or out of the case, the other planar impediment designssuch as contained box, and loose sleeve designs have employ a binarymethod of engagement which is either engaged or disengaged for theentire array, and is subject to card loss if jostled while the planarimpediment is disengaged.

The embodiment of this invention utilizes the renewable compressiveforces of the cards themselves as the mechanisms of retention within thecase body. Cards typically expire every few years, providing renewedcompressive forces with each new card. Cards experience minimaldeflection and minimal wear entering and leaving the case, and are freeof compressive forces while contained in the case, providing for a longuseful life. As no moving parts are required of the case, manufacturecan be quite straightforward with little concern for sourcing variousparts and or fitting them together. The design need only act on thecards in certain areas so a minimum of material is required to satisfythese design requirements.

While the invention has been described in connection with a preferredembodiment, it is not intended to limit the scope of the invention tothe particular form set forth, but on the contrary, it is intended tocover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may beincluded within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by theappended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. An apparatus for storing and retrieving cardsized objects comprising: a case body comprising a channel sufficient tocontain a plurality of card sized objects from all sides; an inlet on aside of the case body through which cards may pass; fixed obstructionsin the inlet opening against which the card is compressed as it passesinto or out of the case body; and an opening on the face or faces ofcase body of sufficient size to permit contact with card faces.
 2. Anapparatus for storing and retrieving card sized objects as claimed inclaim 1 further comprising guiding surfaces inside the case body to aidin card alignment with the fixed obstruction points of the case body 3.An apparatus for storing and retrieving card sized objects as claimed inclaim 1 further comprising fixed retaining surfaces inside case bodychannel to hold cards inside the case body
 4. An apparatus for storingand retrieving card sized objects as claimed in claim 1 with said casebody comprising an inlet on two opposing sides of the case body throughwhich cards may pass
 5. An apparatus for storing and retrieving cardsized objects as claimed in claim 4 further comprising fixedobstructions on the opening of said inlets against which the card iscompressed as it passes into or out of the case body